


Gi Dumpling Soup for the Soul

by White_Rainbow



Category: Dredd (2012), Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Hux is protective, M/M, Mitaka is sick, Sick Character, Sniffles and snuggles, Sweet sick boys, Techie is sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 15:58:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8851138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Rainbow/pseuds/White_Rainbow
Summary: For my sweet friend Pam nspamcwho continues to fuel my love for Techie! We headcannoned a sick fic for these two a while back and so this is for her!
Loosely based on Rainbow Mynock(same story except Armitage and Techie knew each other as kids). Hope you enjoy!!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nspamc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nspamc/gifts).



> Follow me on tumblr! [White-Rainbowff](http://white-rainbowff.tumblr.com/)  
> 

**_{Incoming message from Techie H.}_ **

 

**[Techie H.]:** Armie? Are you there?

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** This is my personal line. I am always here, Bren.

**[Techie H.]:** I don't like that name. Call me by the name I like.

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** ...fine. What is it, Techie.

**[Techie H.]:** Didn't dad used to cook us soup when we were sick?

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** Stars, you remember that? You couldn't have been more than six. Yes, as a matter of fact, he did. 

**[Techie H.]:** Do you remember what it was called?

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** I believe it was Gi Dumpling Soup.

**[Techie H.]:** Do you have the recipe?

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** I do not believe my title is Head Chef of the First Order, Techie 

**[Techie H.]:** :-(

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** Don’t give me that.

**[Techie H.]:** :-( :-( :-( 

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** Fine. I might have father’s recipe in my archive. I will look. Why do you need it?

**[Techie H.]:** Phel is sick. 

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** Brendol Hux Jr., No. You are not going anywhere near that plague-ridden lieutenant.

**[Techie H.]:** But he is sick!

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** As will you be if you go anywhere near him.

**[Techie H.]:** I'm kinda already with him.

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** Who is taking care of the comm lab?

**[Techie H.]:** TK-E1! I got him up and running last night!

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** ...Fine.

 

**{Attachment: [** **_“Recipes For the Boys - Gi Dumpling Soup”_ ** **] Sent}**

 

**[Techie H.]:** I love you, big brother

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** You're testing my patience.

**[Techie H.]:** :-(

**[Gen. A. Hux]:** ...I love you too.

**[Techie H.]:** :-D

 

**_{Message disconnected}_ **

 

***

Techie knelt on the bed beside Mitaka, staring at him intently. His hands were hidden beneath a pair of long sleeves which he continued to tug on nervously as he sat on his heels and waited. Mitaka dipped the spoon into the thick broth. Techie seemed to be holding his breath. The room was quiet save for the soft clicking of his cybernetic eyes and the soft wheezing in Mitaka’s chest. 

“Are you going to watch me eat this, Techie?” Mitaka asked.

“I just want to make sure I did it right. I’ve never made it before. Dad made it best.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. It smells amazing.”

And it truly did. The broth smelled something akin to chicken stock, but more savory. There was also notes of celery, lemon grass, and a light smoky smell from the Gi fish. The steam was already helping with Mitaka’s congestion and the strong fragrance was mouth-watering. 

Techie beamed at the compliment, but his eyes never left Mitaka’s spoon as he waited.

Placing the spoon to his lips, he slurped quietly. An explosion of flavor washed over his tongue. Not too salty, not too zesty, but with enough kick that he felt his sinuses begin to open up again. It was pleasantly thick, soothing his raw throat as it went down. He blinked several times and looked at Techie.

“You made this?”

Techie nodded so vigorously his long red hair fell over his face before he brushed it back with sleeve-covered hands. 

“And this was your first time making it?”

Another enthusiastic bob of his head.

“Techie, this is incredible.” Mitaka plunged the spoon back into the soup, gathering a chunk of gi and shoveling it into his mouth. The fish melted on his tongue, buttery and smoky, it was cooked to perfection. “Just...incredible.” He said going for a third bite.

“I’m so happy you like it!”

“I do,” Mitaka said, but then turned away to sneeze, then sniffle, then clear his throat. His head was throbbing. It had been a long time since he had a cold this bad to the point he had to take time off of work. He looked back at Techie who already had a tissue in his fingers peeking out of his long sleeve. 

“Techie...you shouldn’t be here,” he said, taking the tissue and turning away to blow his nose.

When he looked back, Techie’s nose was scrunched up, his lip drawn up in a pout. Mitaka thought he might be...scowling? It was too adorable to tell. “I  _ should _ be here!” he insisted. “You’re sick!”

“Exactly! I don’t want you catching this. I would feel more awful than I do now if you felt this way.”

Techie waved his hand. “I’ll be fine! Besides, if I wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy my dad’s soup!”

Mitaka blinked. “This is your father’s recipe?”

Techie nodded as Mitaka tilted to bowl to drink the broth. “Armie found the recipe! I knew he had it. He loves that soup, too.”

Mitaka sputtered. “Hux?” he choked. “The general gave you the recipe?”

“Yeah!”

“Did you tell him you were making it for me?”

“Well, yeah!”

His stomach flipped. He didn't want to even think about what Hux must be thinking. While he was on the bridge ruling the First Order  his little brother and only family was taking care of one of his subordinates. A lowly lieutenant of all people. 

“Phel…”

A soft clammy hand lay on top of Mitaka’s nervously clenched fist. “I am glad to help you. You take such good care of me.” Techie’s face no longer was scrunched up in cute anger, but held an intense seriousness he sometimes saw in Hux...well that he  _ always _ saw in Hux. “Please...don't worry about me.”

Mitaka let out a sigh. “Alright...I mean, I will always worry about you, but not because of this.” He said, forcing a smile. “Just get a supplement shot after you leave here, okay?”

“Anything for my Phel!” And Techie leaned over and smooched Mitaka’s cheek. 

“Techie!”

Techie gasped and covered his mouth. “Oops.”

Then with a sheepish grin said, “I’ll get that supplement shot now.”

 

\-----

  
Mitaka was absolutely swamped. After being sick for only two days, it seemed to take him almost three to get completely caught up on his work. Even with the other lieutenants covering for him in his absence, they had not completed his projects as meticulously as he would have liked. Although he was happy to be buried in his work once again and not bed-ridden, his schedule caused him to miss out on his usual visits to Techie after his shift. Thankfully, Techie was very understanding, cheerful even and surprisingly so. Techie’s usual response whenever Mitaka had to cancel was “Aww...okay.” 

The last two days however Mitaka was met with a “No problem! Take your time!”

It was a peculiar response, but Mitaka thought nothing of it…

...until the third day when he walked onto the bridge and found General Hux was nowhere to be seen.

“Colonel Datoo, where is General Hux?”

Datoo shrugged his narrow shoulders. “The General said he was ill and scheduled the next two days off.”

Mitaka blinked. “The general is sick? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him ill.”

Datoo huffed. “Regardless, it is what he told me and that is what I'm telling you.”

Mitaka left it at that, but something didn’t feel right.

He pulled out his datapad and sent a message to Techie.

**[Lt. D. Mitaka]:** My shift is over soon. Can I see you?

Techie responded almost immediately

**[Techie H.]:** No, no, that’s okay. I know you’re busy. You can come over another day!

**[Lt. D. Mitaka]:** I am all caught up with my work, so I don’t mind stopping by.

**[Techie H.]:** I really prefer you see me tomorrow. Or the next day. Maybe end of this week.

Mitaka felt his heart sank.

**[Lt. D. Mitaka]:** You’re sick, aren’t you.

Techie didn’t reply immediately. Then after a few moments he replied:

**[Techie H.]:** It's not your fault! I chose to take care of you!

Guilt wracked Mitaka’s chest. All he ever wanted to do was make sure Techie was safe and secure, and now here the sweet, gentle man was, inflicted with a terribly unpleasant illness that could have been prevented. It had only lasted a few days for Mitaka, but he had lost a good five pounds from it and Techie’s fragile body could not afford to lose  _ any  _ weight.

“Colonel, I am finished with my projects for the day.”

Datoo checked his wrist comm screen and nodded. “You are relieved, Lieutenant.”

“Thank you, sir,” Mitaka said as he was already heading off the bridge.

Mitaka typed in “T-732” the clandestine level where Techie worked and lived.  When he reached Techie’s quarters he pressed the intercom announcing his presence. A few heartbeats later an icy, familiar voice echoed from the speaker.

“Yes?”

Mitaka’s blood went cold. “G-general?”

“What is it, lieutenant?” The speaker barked back.

“I just wanted to check in on Techie. Is he okay?”

Silence answered him. 

After a few long moments, Mitaka was about to quietly retreat back to his own quarters when a series of beeps chirped from the control panel and the door slid open.

Mitaka walked across the spacious, yet simply furnished living room, down the hall and into the bedroom where he found Techie lying in bed. He was surrounded by silky, plus pillows, and was covered to the chest in a thick black duvet embroidered with a bold scarlet First Order symbol. Beside him was a tray of medicine bottles, a mug of steaming drink and a pile of tissues with a tissue box beside it. Hux was sitting on the side of the bed, holding a bowl of hot broth, a spoon full of Gi fish hovering above it.

Techie’s ocular implants flickered brightly at seeing Mitaka.

“Phel!” he squeaked, his voice cracking from rawness.

Mitaka’s heart broke to hear that soft sweet voice so tortured. “Hey there. How are you feeling?”

General Hux was first to respond. “Rather unwell, thanks to you. He is fragile as it is and he doesn’t need your  _ plague _ making his state worse.”

“I’m fine, Armie!” Techie exclaimed, though the effort sent him into a coughing fit, which only emphasized Hux’s point.

“You are not fine,” Hux said, his tone gentling as he touched Techie’s back.

“I'm so sorry, sir,” Mitaka groveled, “I should have made him leave. It was irresponsible of me.”

“I wasn't going to leave you,” Techie gasped between coughs. “You were...sick and...I wanted...to help!” 

Techie’s coughs shifted into a series of squeaky sneezes, Hux lowered the bowl of soup and waited. Mitaka watched Hux intently. There was a strange expression on the general’s face. It was not fury, which Mitaka had seen plenty of times before. His face was tense, yet soft, his jaw unclenched, but his eyebrows knitted. Those crystal blue eyes glittered with a mixture of worry and love and fear. Mitaka’s heart ached for the general. The sort of burden he carried worrying about the entire First Order  _ and  _ his younger brother...and here Mitaka was making matters worse.

“Take a seat then,” Hux said, finally, continuing to gaze at his little brother whose sneezing fit seemed to have subsided for the moment. Techie rubbed his nose, which was even redder than his scarlet-rimmed eyes and then patted the space next to him, eagerly. Mitaka climbed onto the enormous bed, but scooted a foot away from Techie’s hand, glancing warily at the older brother who glowered at him as he moved. Seemingly satisfied with Mitaka’s placement, Hux raised the bowl again, stirring up the soup.

“That soup is incredible, sir.” Mitaka dared to remark.

“Is it,” Hux said, flatly, holding out another spoonful for Techie.

“I made it for him when he was sick!” Techie croaked before taking another sip from the spoon.

“Techie did an amazing job. Really, sir, I’ve never tasted anything like it. It was exquisite.”

Hux refilled the spoon and held it out to Techie again. “It was my father’s recipe. He made this soup for us whenever we were ill.”

“I told him that, too,” Techie chirped.

“Did you,” Hux said, his tone was gentle and amused. “And did you tell the lieutenant that you used to  _ pretend  _ to be sick just so father could make you this soup?”

Techie fought a quirky, bashful smile. “Nooo.”

“Quite the little actor,” Hux went on, a smile actually lurking in the corner of his lips. “He would stand next to the stove holding a can of broth and cough dramatically until my father walked into the kitchen. Sometimes it actually worked.”

“Armie,” he whined, hiding his blush in his hands.

“That’s adorable,” Mitaka grinned and delighted when Hux hummed in agreement.

“I suppose,” Hux said, “though he often used that ‘adorableness’ to get his way often as a child.”

“It still works,” Mitaka chimed in a bit more comfortable, but then wilted a little when Hux glanced at him. 

After a long moment of studying Mitaka, Hux sighed, “I suppose I can’t blame you entirely for him catching your illness. He is persistent.”

Techie preened, clearly proud of himself even as he stifled another cough. His eyes uttered a quick whirr, a sound that usually accompanied his amusement.

Hux set the soup down on the side table. “I need to return to my duties. You should get some rest.”

Mitaka started to rise as well, but Techie reached out for him. “Phel, wait!”

Techie and Mitaka both looked to Hux, as if looking to the general (and older sibling) for permission to let the lieutenant stay.

Hux opened his mouth to protest, but in the end sighed. “Your shift is over, correct?”

“Yes, sir.” Mitaka said, quickly.

Hux rose and set the bowl down on the stand. “Alright. Just, make sure he rests at some   
point. I do not want this illness getting out of hand.”

A sharp buzz sounded from Techie’s cybernetic implants. “I’m right here, Armie.”

Hux’s eyes narrowed at Techie. 

And Techie narrowed his eyes right back.

Mitaka fidgeted.

_ Maybe I should go... _

Hux sat back on the bed and pressed his forehead against the sweating brow of Techie. “I am sorry. I know you are. Please, take care of yourself and try to rest. Alright? For me.”

Techie closed his eyes and nodded slightly. “I will, Armie, I promise.”

Hux kissed his brother’s forehead, rose, and walked out without looking at the   
lieutenant.

Dumbfounded, Mitaka looked back at Techie who was smiling brightly, if not a little weakly.

“I really am sorry for getting you sick.”

Techie’s smile faded a little, “Please, don’t be. I was so happy to take care of you for a change. All of this was so worth it. Armie makes more of a fuss than he needs to, he can’t help it.”

The reassurance in Techie’s face wavered as he sunk back into the mountain of pillows. Mitaka   
could see that even talking was wearing him out. 

Mitaka owed it to Techie and Armie -to General Hux - to make sure the younger Hux rested.

“Techie, have you ever see  _ Blasto 6: Partners in Crime  _ yet?”

Techie looked at him blankly. “Who is Blasto?”

Mitaka gasped. “You haven’t seen  _ any  _ Blasto holovids?”

Techie blushed. “I…don’t get out much.”

“Oh…no, of course not. Sorry. But hey, what better way to relax than to watch a Blasto holovid marathon!”

Techie burst into a toothy smile. “Okay!”

Mitaka hopped off the bed, kicked off his boots and slid off his jacket, feeling much more comfortable in his tank shirt and slacks. He turned back to the bed and saw that Techie had already pulled back the duvet. Without Hux there it was much more comfortable slipping under the covers, sinking into the heap of pillows next to Techie.

Grabbing the projector remote, Mitaka draped an arm around Techie who melted into his   
arms instantly. He flicked a button on the remote and a large screen slid down   
from the ceiling.

“Welcome to your first Blasto marathon.” Mitaka said, selecting  _ Blasto: Sabotage at the Citadel. _

“I can’t wait,” Techie breathed. He laid his head against Mitaka’s broad chest, his arm wrapping   
around the lieutenant’s waist and hugging him tight. Techie  was a perfect fit and it made Mitaka’s heart swelled with an overwhelming need to protect and love this beautiful, brilliant, gentle man. 

Mitaka brushed Techie’s hair away from his slick forehead. “Are you comfortable?”

Techie hummed his contentment. 

“Alright, here we go. Your first  _ Blasto  _ movie. Prepare to be amazed,” Mitaka grinned.

“Phel?”

MItaka’s finger hovered over the play button.

“Yes, Techie?”

Techie looked up at MItaka with round, impossibly blue cybernetic implants that had   
more soul in them than most men with natural eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Mitaka kissed Techie’s forehead. “Me too…”

And with that, Mitaka pressed play.

Techie drifted off to sleep soon after.


End file.
